The well-known ultra-hydrophobic properties of a lotus leaf are based on a hierarchal surface structure in the �m to nm range. Polymer science is now able to mimic this naturally occurring phenomenon by combining polymer particles in the �m range with triblock copolymer coatings in the nm range.By combining different functionalities in one block polymer molecule, multifunctional polymer surfaces can be synthesized, which exhibit ultrahydrophobic and superhydrophilic behavior. This is achieved by the production of core-shell-nanoparticle layers on a variety of substrates (e.g. polymers and metals) which lead to easy-to-clean (anti-soil and anti-staining behavior) or self-cleaning properties.The synthesized tri-block polymers consist of a block responsible for the anchoring to the substrate, a �hydrophilic� block and a �hydrophobic� block. This offers the possibility to combine the anchoring to a substrate with reversible switching of the wetting behavior in one molecule. The wetting behavior of the prepared tri-block polymer brushes can be switched by external stimuli: temperature, pH-value, solvent atmosphere, salt concentration etc. Modern LC techniques to determine the molar mass and the composition of the tri-block polymers will be presented, as well as possible applications for the industrial use of these new switchable materials.

Synthesis, characterization, and application of reversible oltrahydrophobic polymer surfaces

247th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.